[StBernard] signs in the parish

[Westley Annis]

Sam,

You are absolutely correct and I could not agree with you more.  I cannot
tell you the countless people I know who told me they have benefited from
all the signs - they were in fact the primary, if not only, source of
information for many, many.  There have been at times where I thought a few
locations in the parish looked a bit overwhelmed with signs, but I'm
thinking some ground rules can be established for how and where contractors,
venders, etc. can erect signage.

The simple yet indisputable fact is no matter how popular Westley's website
is and no matter how hard the St. Bernard News is trying to redistribute its
circulation, the number of people being reached is only a minute fraction of
the parish's population.  Most people get information off the signage upon
their return trips to the parish.  I realize some people go overboard with
the signs, but like I said, I'm sure the parish government could come up
with a criteria by which some signage can remain.  And certainly we are only
talking about signs that are on a public right of way.  Any sign out of the
right of way and on private property cannot be touched.

I will admit I am guilty of using the rights of way.  I placed a total of 20
signs throughout St. Bernard.  After one week only about 4 or 5 signs
remained.  Today I spotted only one.  Strangely enough, in several spots
where my signs were placed and now gone, another real estate appraiser's
sign is in the same spot - kinda feels like I'm in an election.  Oddly
enough, just about all of the 30 signs I placed through Lakeview and
Gentilly are still there - as well as all the other signage.  It seems the
City of New Orleans understands their benefit.

I've come to learn through my years of working in/with government that all
it takes is one or two oddballs to complain about something and that's
enough to make some public officials - not all - react with some ordinance
or a needless crackdown.  As you implied, Sam, perhaps we need to focus more
on their benefit and properly regulating them.

John Scurich